by Olivia Rush
One of the other firemen scoffed.
“One guy?” he asked. “How could one guy get access to all those buildings?”
“If they’re all owned by the same company… I don’t know. Just thinking out loud here!” said Joel, waving his hand through the air dismissively.
“Oh, wait,” said Mike, “I bet if we took a look at all of those computer systems, we’d find out for sure that they were all from the same company or using all the same software. Bet it’s some kind of glitch causing them to overheat.”
“No way!” shot back Joel. “You really think this is all some coincidence? Just bad software or something?”
“I don’t trust a damn computer as far as I can throw it,” said Mike. “And everything’s on those things these days. It’s ridiculous!”
“Mike,” said one of the other men, “just because your computer’s so full of bugs from all that porn you’re downloading doesn’t mean no one else can trust theirs.”
Laughter broke out in the meeting room, and I let a small smile tug at one side of my mouth.
Chief raised his hand, letting the men know that the time for screwing around was over.
“OK, OK,” he said. “That’s enough out of you guys. I’m sure the detectives down at the local station would be more than happy to hear your brilliant theories, but like I’ve said before, our job is to put out fires.”
“Just feels like we’re treating symptoms,” said Mike. “Like someone’s getting the better of us out there, and we’re just stuck picking up the pieces.”
Chief raised an eyebrow.
“You want to play detective along with fireman?” said Chief. “Not really sure that’s covered by your pay grade, Mike.” He went on. “But I get it. I know these fires are seeming stranger and stranger by the day. But you all know what our job is—leave the detective work to the NYPD.”
I understood where Chief was coming from, but it was impossible not to wonder what was going on. Hell, I was having trouble keeping my brain from spinning into overdrive and coming up with my own theories.
And as I sat there, an image appeared in my mind. It was that of Callie, a scene replaying from last night. I imagined her gorgeous face, those electric blue eyes staring deep into mine, her mouth open in a big O of orgasmic delight. I imagined her naked body sheened with sweat, writhing underneath me as I plunged my cock into her again and again…
I shook my head, bringing myself back to the present moment. But my little trip into fantasyland had disturbed me a bit. It meant this girl was working her way into my mind, stealing my attention away when it was most needed. I couldn’t remember the last time a girl had had this effect on me.
I did my best to push all of that out of my mind, focusing back on the chief.
“Anyway,” said the chief, “regardless of whether it’s arson or buggy software or little fire-starting elves, we’re gonna be on high alert until this all gets resolved. That means you guys can all expect to be on call whenever we need you. These fires have been pretty manageable so far, but I don’t need to tell you what could go wrong if one of them got out of control and ended up engulfing a floor or two in one of these high-rises.”
I clenched my teeth. A fire like that would be a damn nightmare—no two ways about it.
“And we’re gonna be working with some of the other stations in the area, which means there’s a good chance you might find yourself working on fires that are out of our jurisdiction. We’re gonna all have each other’s backs. The NYPD’s working overtime to get to the bottom of these fires, and until those brainiacs crack the case, it’s all on us. We’re operating at zero fatalities across all these fires so far, and I don’t know about you all, but I’m aiming to keep it that way.”
“So,” he continued, “unless you all got any more questions, that’s it.”
He gave us a nod, and the meeting was over. The men filed out of the room, still chatting eagerly among themselves. I was about to head out myself when I heard the deep voice of Chief Stokes call out to me.
“Black,” he said, still at the podium. “Come join me in my office.”
I gave him a nod as I bounced out of my chair. Chief ducked through the door leading out the back of the meeting room, and I followed him. Moments later, the two of us were in his office, him seated at his desk and me across from him.
“What’s up, Chief?” I asked, sitting at attention.
Chief looked away for a moment, as if trying to formulate his words carefully.
“I think you and the rest of the crew have gotten the message that we’re potentially dealing with some really out-of-the-ordinary stuff here with these fires.”
I nodded. “Yeah,” I said. “Something about them just stinks. I’m no arson investigator, but everything about them just seems off, like there’s something behind them.”
“Then you and I are on the same page. But you know how the investigators like to work—slow and steady, no proclamations until they know what’s going on for sure. I can’t say I blame them, but sometimes it just feels like they’re keeping us in the dark.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” I said.
“Anyway,” said the chief. “That’s not why I brought you in here. The real reason is that I wanted you to know that I’ve noticed how much ass you’ve been kicking with these fires. And situations like these, in my experience, bring out the need for men who know how to handle things. So, I’m going to be giving you a little more responsibility from here on out—putting you in charge of ladder crews, things like that.”
I nodded.
“It’s where Chief Swift had me before he ended up taking retirement and putting me in this chair. Now, I’m not saying it’s going to lead to a chief position or anything like that, but…it’s something to keep in mind.”
“Thanks, Chief,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’ll make sure not to pull any big screw-ups.”
Chief laughed. “That’s the least you could do,” he said.
I was about to ask if there was anything else, but Chief beat me to the punch.
“Oh,” he said, “I’ve been meaning to ask you—what’s been going on with that chick you’d been talking with for that magazine? She still riding your ass?”
There was definitely some riding going on, but I decided to keep that little bit of information on the down low.
“She’s been kind of a pain, but nothing I can’t handle.”
“Good,” he said. “I just want to stress that I want you keeping this girl at arm’s length while this potential arson situation is going on. I’ve dealt with the press enough to know that they’re constantly trying to sniff out stories and always trying to pry information out of sources. I don’t know what angle she’s working on in her interviews with you, and I know she just writes for some gossip rag, but if she gets a whiff of something like what we’re working on, she might try to put the screws to you.”
It took all the restraint I had not to let him know that I’d already been through the “Callie Process.”
“You got it, Chief,” I said.
“Good,” he said. “We got a lot riding on performing at our best while all this is going on, and I know I can count on you.”
Chief then stood up and gave me a nod.
“That’s all, Stone,” he said.
As soon as I stepped out of the chief’s office, I knew I needed some fresh air more than anything. Slipping past the guys, I poured myself a cup of coffee, grabbed my jacket, and took the ladder up to the roof.
The fresh, cool air hit my face instantly, clearing my mind and allowing me to focus. The low din of traffic rose up all around me, though the height of the station prevented it from being too loud to think.
I glanced over at the spot on the cement railing where Callie and I had done our first interview. Damn, that girl had been a pain in my ass from the get-go, doing whatever it took to pry the information she needed out of me.
Part of me considered the idea that Calli
e was doing what Chief said, going to whatever lengths she needed to get the information she wanted, including sleeping with a source. While I was sure there were reporters who would do something like that, Callie didn’t really strike me as the type.
I took a seat on the concrete railing and looked out onto the city. No, I had a different problem with Callie—the problem that I might get too close. Sleeping together was clearly something that we’d both wanted, but it meant that we’d crossed a boundary we couldn’t step back over.
And I wasn’t sure I wanted to, even if I could.
11
CALLIE
When my head exploded for the fifth time, I sighed in exasperation. My character spun in a lazy circle, his headless body dropping to the earth like a sack of flour. I set the controller down. Sure, I wasn’t exactly the gamer type, but I was shocked by just how bad my entrance into the world of videogames had been.
“Ha!” shouted Jason, pumping his fist in victory. “Now I’m gonna take all your guns.”
“Are you serious?” I asked, shaking my head in disbelief. “It took me forever to get all of those. And I had grenades, too.”
“You should be more careful, then,” said Jason, his eyes locked on the screen. “And don’t be such a baby—you’ll be back to life in a few minutes.”
“Oh?” I asked, crossing my arms. “I’m being the baby? I seem to remember you throwing a little bit of a fit when I popped you with that headshot a couple of rounds ago.”
“I wasn’t being a baby!” cried out Jason. “That was a lucky shot.”
“Lucky shot that took you out of the game in the first thirty seconds.”
“You couldn’t do it again,” said Jason, his tone challenging. “You’re still a total newbie.”
“A newbie, huh?” I said, picking the controller back up and getting my game face on. “We’ll see who’s the freakin’ newbie, dude.”
The next round started, and we were off. I ran my character toward the nearest cover and grabbed a pistol. But before I could even think about what to do next, my side of the screen flashed—a sign that I was being shot at. I didn’t have time to react before my character toppled over again, the scant goodies I’d managed to collect exploding out of me.
“Thanks for the gun,” said Jason, his eyes ahead and a small smirk on his face. “It’s not that great, but it’s OK.”
“Unbelievable!” I said, reaching forward and grabbing a handful of potato chips.
Something about playing games with Jason was really getting my competitive drive going. I didn’t know if it was being trounced by a kid or what, but all I wanted to do was keep playing until I was the clear, undisputed champion of the Black household.
More than that, I was surprised to find out just how much fun I’d been having with this kid. Jason and I had a full day, the two of us catching a flick before grabbing some hot dogs and taking a stroll up to Central Park. The day was crisp and lovely, and Jason had a great time messing around in the piles of copper leaves mounded up here and there.
After that, Jason told me he was in the mood for some video games, and after so much walking, the idea of sitting on my ass for a while didn’t sound so bad. We stopped by the video game store to pick up a second controller since Jason was evidently used to playing online.
Once we got back, he didn’t waste any time introducing me to his favorite game—one that I was as terrible at as every other video game I’d ever tried.
“OK, dude,” I said. “I think it’s time for a coffee break.”
“You’re only saying that because you’re losing,” he said, his eyes still ahead.
“No, I’m saying that because my butt’s starting to hurt from sitting down for so long.”
“And because you’re losing.”
I stood up, stretched, and mussed the kid’s hair before grabbing a cup of coffee from the kitchen. Yeah, the day had been more fun than I’d imagined hanging out with a kid all day would be. It was all so strange, since spending time with someone else’s kid would’ve, under most circumstances, been the last way I would’ve liked to spend an afternoon. I didn’t know what was going on with me.
However, as I stepped out onto the apartment’s small balcony, the reality of what had happened dawned on me—we’d had sex. It was amazing sex—don’t get me wrong. Better than amazing, really. It was earth-shattering, toe-curling, hair-whitening sex.
But it was sex with a source, sex I shouldn’t have had. If Danvers found out what I’d been up to, I’d have to start preparing my head for the guillotine. And I knew that those rules were in place for a reason. Getting too close to sources was a bad idea, especially in a situation like this, where it could look like I was exchanging sex for information. I’d never do something like that, not in a million years, but good luck making that case.
I sipped my coffee and tried to figure out just what the hell I should do. I leaned back on the cool metal railing and looked through the window at Jason, who was still busy with his game. Distance was necessary, not just because of the nature of my and Stone’s relationship, but because… Well, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was quite possibly, maybe falling for the guy a little bit. And considering how ambitious I was in my career, that was the last complication I wanted.
Yeah, distance was the thing. The little domestic situation of the day I’d spent with Jason was nice, but it was just too much, especially with the work issue on top of everything. I turned back toward the city and continued to drink my coffee, building my resolve more and more by the second.
But as I was getting my game face on—this time for an entirely different kind of game—I couldn’t shake the idea that, despite my pretensions of keeping things professional between Stone and me, what I was really afraid of was getting hurt. It’d happened before, after all, and I’d sworn that I’d never let it happen again.
Right at the moment I’d made the big decision to keep Stone at arm’s length, the front door lock clicked open, sounding through the apartment. I turned just in time to see Stone stroll through the front door.
Just the sight of him made me realize that sticking to my decision was going to be harder than I’d hoped. His big frame nearly took up the entire door, and my eyes went right away to his massive, round shoulders. In my mind’s eye I was already replaying the events from last night, picturing his glorious, sculpted body on top of me, his face tight with pleasure as he shoved that big, thick cock into my pussy over and over again.
I bit my lower lip so hard I worried for a second I might draw blood. My heart began to thump in my chest, and it took every bit of restraint I had not to toss my little plan aside, rush into the apartment, and pull him into the bedroom for a little fun.
Professionalism, professionalism, I told myself over and over again as I watched Stone lean over on the couch behind Jason, pointing to the screen as the kid played his game. Of course, with Stone bent over like that, my eyes went right to his ass, perfect-looking in those tight-fitting jeans. At that moment I was able to remember with perfect clarity just how that ass felt beneath my hands, the muscles working under his skin as I guided him into me.
Something was wet on the tip of my finger, and glancing down, I noticed that, without thinking, I’d slipped my finger into my mouth and had been sucking on it gently as I watched Stone. It wouldn’t take a damn shrink to figure out just what was on my mind at that moment.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I knew needed to be done. I strode back into the living room.
“Hey,” said Stone, his eyes flicking up to me as soon as I stepped inside. “How’s it going?”
“Good,” I said, keeping my tone flat and even, doing my best not to betray what was actually going on inside of me.
I walked briskly into the kitchen and poured myself another cup of coffee. I knew the best thing to do would be to just grab my things and leave, but I couldn’t bear to do it. Part of me wanted to stay, the other part of me wanted to go—it was like I was
being torn in two.
“Sounds like you and Jason had a pretty full day,” he said, entering the kitchen and grabbing a fresh cup of coffee for himself.
“Yeah,” I said, looking away as I tucked an errant curl behind my ear. “It was good. We got some lunch, he stayed out of trouble—all that good stuff.”
I could tell Stone thought there was something up about my behavior. His eyebrows scrunched a little, but he let the matter slide.
“I just want to thank you again for spending your day here with Jason. I know you’re busy, and you really pulled me out of a jam,” he said, dumping a little milk into his coffee.
“Did everything go OK down at the station?” I asked.
I’m not going to lie—part of me was hoping he’d drop a little info about what he’d learned about the fires. I hated that my “eager journalist” instincts were so built into my brain that I couldn’t just turn them off.
But Stone’s look made it clear he wasn’t about to give out anything he knew he shouldn’t. Despite the closeness that had developed between us over the short time we’d known each other, our professional responsibilities were a clear wedge—a wedge I knew was necessary.
“Just the chief letting us know to keep our eyes and ears open,” he said, his tone suggesting that he’d purposefully phrased his question in a manner that would keep everything as vague as possible.
“Oh,” I said.
“Anyway,” said Stone, raising his voice so that Jason would be able to hear him. “I was thinking we could go out and grab some pizza if you guys were hungry—my treat.”
“Yeah!” said Jason, the idea of pizza being the first thing I’d seen that managed to take his attention away from his game. “I want one with pepperoni and extra cheese and pineapple!”
Stone chuckled.
“Kid’s got strange tastes,” he said. “But you and I can get something a little more traditional, unless you’re also a fruit-on-your-pizza type.”
I knew I needed to take my leave. The idea of spending the rest of the day—not to mention night—with Stone was totally appealing, but I knew I shouldn’t do it. And the longer I stuck around, the weaker my resolve would become.